Crate



R. J. BYERS Sept. 5, 1950 CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1947 m 5 B 0 J 4! R. J. BYERS CRATE Sept. 5, 1950 Filed April 24, 1947 2 Sh eets-Sheet 2 2 AALPH 4/. Bylaws Patented Sept. 5, 1950 Ralph J. Byers", Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Milland Lumber Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application'April24, 1947, Serial No. 743,588

This invention relates to a crate construction and more particularly to a crate construction suitable for crating heavy articles such as stoves, motors, etc.

One of the difficulties encountered in providing a crate suitable for shipment of articles of this type is to minimize the time it takes to completely crate the article without sacrificing strength and rigidity of the crate. For example, one could rather quickly fold a wire-bound mat ab'outfthe article and close'the endsof said mat to complete the crate, but the resulting crate would lack strength and rigidity since none of the sides would be interlocked in any way with each other or with the ends. While some of the known types of crates are provided with members which inter lock to give the crate rigidity, it has been my experience that the type of interlocking employed requires the crate to be assembled in a sequence of steps which are unnecessarily time consuming.

Furthermore, I have found known types of interlocking to be deficient, particularly in those crates where the crate sides are offset from each other, in maintaining the sides self-centered and in allowing variation in the amount of offset-to compensate for irregularities in the dimensions of members in contact with each' other. While thetypes of wood used to make packing crates .5 Claims. (01.217-48) are'quite practical for the purpose, it is evident that apacking crate is hardly a finished article of cabinet work. Consequently, preformed blanks may vary in dimensions and a satisfactory type of interlock should afford compensation for this variation. V

, With the foregoing in mind, I have invented a crate which can be quickly assembled from preformed blanks, and which, when assembled, is satisfactorily strong and rigid. In fact, my crate is particularly adapted for production line work where articles are to be quickly crated and dispatched for shipment. In accordance with the teaching of my invention, preformed blanks can beassembled at chosen locations along a 'conveyer line.- With such an assembly line, articles to be crated can be secured, say at one location, to a base member and the partial assembly'then quickly'forwarded to another location'where the crate sides and top have been formed into a hood ready to be rapidly lowered over said article and secured to the base member to complete the crat in'g operation.

'Ihe assembled crate is strong and rigid. The crate sides are offset from each other alternately, and the opposite ends of the crate which, of

course, can be-the top and bottom of the. crate,

2 are secured in interlocking relationship with the offset sides. I employ a type of interlock between adjacent sides of the crate which tends to maintain each side self-centered and which also compensates for-variations in the dimensions of members of individual sides of the crate to permit the proper amount of offset between the crate sides despite these'irregularities. In order to further facilitate rapid setting up of the crate, I form the crate sides as sections of a wire-bound mat which can be quickl folded to set up the crate sides. The interlocking members employed between the crate sides assist in this setting up operation in that they intermesh to guide, adjacent sections of the mat into final offset relationship as the .niat is folded.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a crate suitable for the shipment of heavy articles such as stoves, motors, etc., which can be completely assembled in a short space of time and which is, nevertheless, sufliciently strong and rigid for the purpose intended. 1

It i another object of my invention to provide such a'shipping crate which is especially adapted for crating'articles on a production line basis in that preformed crate sections can be located in such a manner that rapid assemblage of the cratejcan be accomplished by following a predetermined sequence of steps.

It is still another object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in which the crate sides are interlocked with each other and withone of the crate ends. i

' It is a further object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in'which the crate sides are interlocked with each other by interlocking members which tend to center said sides and which maintain adjacent sides offset from each other.

- It is a still further object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in which the crate sides are interlockedwith each other b interlocking members which maintain adjacent sides of the crate offset from each other and which permit variation in the amount of such ofiset to compensate fordimensional irregularities in the members in contact witheach other. v

It is still another object 'of my invention to pro-v vide a shipping crate-in which the crate sides are formed by'folding a wire-bound mat or blank into set up position, said mat including members: which intermesh to guide adjacent sides of the crate into final offsetvrelationship as said mat is foldeds- I l These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent fromithe following detailed description taken inbconjunctlon with the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the manner of crating an article for shipment in accordance with the teaching of my invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded isometric view of a crate constructed in accordance with the teaching of my invention.

Figure 3 is an elevational view, broken away in part, of the foldable wire-bound mat or blank which forms the crate sides, said mat being shOWn as laid out fiat;

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, but after the crate sides have been offset alternately preparatory to folding. of the mat;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the bottom of the crate, i. e., looking upward at the crate from below;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is va sectional view taken on line VII- VIIof Figure 5, and;

Figure 8 is a view looking from the inside of the crate toward a corner thereof and shows the type of interlock which I employ between members-ofadjacent sides of the crate.

While I have selected the foregoing illustrations as disclosing a practical embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that these-illustrations are merely representative and are not intended toconfine the scope of my invention to the exact size and overall shape of the crate shown in the drawings.

The crate shown inthe drawings is a type suitable for shipping articles whichshould be maintained in an upright position during shipment. Any article which has a base iii. its own, such as a stove or an uprightmo-tonis generally required to be shipped in such a manner. Accordingly, my crate includes a base or bottom member iii to which the article being shipped is securely fastened.

The crate bottom H1 is of substantialstrength, such strength being securedby positioning relatively sturdy slats ll crosswise with respect to other relatively sturdy cleats [2. As can be observed 'from Figure 2 of the drawings, the ends of slats H rest upon cleats l2 and are substantially flush with theoutermost edges of the cleats I2. Slats H and cleats l2 are secured together in a suitable manner, as by nails. While the ends of slats ll are substantially flush with the outermost edges of cleats l2-,.the ends of these last-mentioned cleats extend .beyond the outermost edges of the slats ll and this arrangement is provided for a purpose that will be further explained later in this specification.

A plurality of substantially vertical sides l3, [4, I5 and [6 are supported .by and attached to the crate bottom l0. Ascan be observed from Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, each of these crate sides consists of cleats extending lengthwise of the side, these cleats beingsubstantially horizontal in the crate shown in the drawings, and slats secured to said cleats in -a suitable manner, such as by being stapled-thereto. For example, the crate side 13 includes horizontal top and bottom cleats l1 and l8-and 'an -intermediate. horizontal cleat I9 positioned midway :between said top and bottom cleats. Arpluralitycf upright slats 20 are attached to said horizontal cleats, the ends of said slats being substantially flush with the upper surface of the top cleat H and the lower surface of the bottom cleat 18, respectively. similarly, the adjacent crate side [6 includes horizontal top and bottom cleats 2| and 22 and a horizontal cleat 23 positioned midway between said top and bottom cleats. A pair of substantially upright slats 24 and a pair of diagonal bracing slats 25 are attached to said horizontal cleats. The ends Of the slats 24 and 25 are substantially flush with the upper edge of top cleat 2| and the lower edge of bottom cleat 22, respectively. The use of diagonal bracing slats instead of having all of the upright slats vertical, is of course, optional, but it is preferable to employ such diagonal slats when the crate sides are of substantial length. As is illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, when the diagonal bracing slats 25 are employed, the upright slats 24 are best placed adjacent each corner of the crate. Since crate side [5 is identical to crate side l3, and crate side I4 is identical to crate side iii, no detailed description of the crate sides I4 and i5 is deemed necessary.

The crate top 2.6 consist of .a plurality of relatively sturdy cleats 2.1 which are securedincrosswise relationship to a plurality of slats 2-8. As can be observed from Figure 2 of the drawings, the ends of the cleats 21 project beyond the outermost lateral edges of the slats 28. The ends of the slats 28 similarly (project beyondthe outermost lateral edges oithe cleats '21. This arrangement results in projecting ends, one a cleat end and the other a slat end, being locatedadl'acent each corner of the crate top '26. Since I have illustrated a type of crate which is .to be maintained in an upright position during shipment, I employ the slats 28 instead of using additional cleats in their stead'because the crate top does not have to carry the weight of the article being shipped and for this reason, need not be made as sturdy as the crate bottom. Naturally, and depending upon the particular requirement, the crate top could be made as sturdy as necessary and cleats could be used. in place of the slats 28.

From vanobservation of Figure 2 of the drawings, it is seen that adjacent sides of the crate arealternately offset from each other vertically with the result that crate sides I3 and [5 appear raised with respect to crate sides [4 and IE or, .to put it another way, crate sides 14 and [6 appear to be lowered with respect to crate: sides [3 and I5. This positioning of the crate sides isachieved in the following manner.

Each crate side is, at least initially, a section of a wire-bound mat or blank designated generally by the numeral 29 in Figures 3 andiof the drawings. When the mat 29 .is laidout fiat, the individual crate sides are. positioned in longitudinal alignment with their longitudinally extending cleats also in longitudinal alignment. The crate sides are foldably secured together by a plurality of flexible wire binders 30, "3| and .32 which are attached to the outer surfaces of. the sides by. means such as staples '33, As can be observed .from Figure .2 of thedrawings, the wire binders extendalong the outer side surfaces opposite thehorizontal cleats of eac-h vside. For example, .for side i 3, wire binder 3flis .oppositecleat [1,, wire binder .3 is opposite cleat -l9 and wire binder 32 is opposite cleat 1-8.

' Each of the horizontally extending side cleats has its ends stepped down -.-to form-a centrally positioned tapered tongue at each end of the cleat. When the wire-bound. mat 29 is laid out flat :asshown inFigure 3 of the drawings, these tongues are positioned in end :to :endrelationship. Notice,,for example, the tongues 34 and-35 shown assists 5. inFig'ure 3 of the drawings. When it'is desired to set up the wire-bound mat 29, adjacent sections of this mat, i. e., the crate sides, are offset alternately from each other to move the formerly aligned cleat tongues out of end to end alignment, After this is accomplished, the mat 29 can be readily folded to set up the crate sides.

As this folding takes place, the cleat tongues intermesh to guide the cleat sides into final offset relationship. Reference to Figure'8 of the drawings illustrates how this takes place. The cleat tongues shown there are the tongues 34 and 35 shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. As is further shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, cleat tongue 34 has been moved vertically downward from cleat tongue 35. When mat 29 is folded, the upper tapered surface 36 of cleat'tongue 34 engages with the lower tapered surface 31 of cleat tongue 35 to form a slidable pivot for the crate sides I4 and I5. Because the tongue surfaces 36 and 31 are tapered at an angle to the horizontal, it will be readily apparent that the amount of final offset between the crate sides I4 and I can be varied as required. Furthermore, since the tongue at each end of a cleat is similarly shaped,

when these tongues engage with the tongues of cleats of adjacent sides of the crate, they will tend to center the cleat side, This will also be readily apparent from Figures 3, 4 and 8 of the drawings.

Since the cleat tongues are formed as stepped down portions at the cleat ends, shoulder surfaces are provided at these ends. Again referring to Figure 8 of the drawings, it will be observed that cleat 38 has a shoulder 39 formed between the body portion 40 of the cleat and the cleat tongue 34. Similarly, c1eat4| has a shoulder 42 formed between the body portion 43 of the cleat and the cleat tongue 35. Depending upon the tightness of the assembly, shoulder 39 may or may not abut against cleat tongue 35 and shoulder 42 may or may not abut against cleat tongue 34. In any event, the amount of space between these parts will .be very small so that, should the crate sides tend to shift longitudinally, the shoulders would engage the tongues as indicated to prevent further shifting. Note that the body portions of the cleats, such as body portions 40 and 43, are shown as being of uniform cross-sectional area while the tongues, such as 34 and 35, since they are tapered, are of radually diminishing cross-sectional area from the ends of the body portions to the ends of the tongues.

The flexible wire binders 30, 3| and 32 are sufficiently flexible to permit the amount of initial offset of the crate sides shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. After the crate sides have been so offset and after they are folded into the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the ends of the flexible binders are looped together and drawn up tightly as is indicated at 44 in Figures 2 and 5. Of course, when the crate sides are initially offset as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the flexible binders are angled at each line of offset. This causes the flexible binders to extend at an angle to the horizontal at the corners of the crate as v is indicated at 45 in Figure 2 of the drawings. When the flexible binders are tightened to secure the crate sides together, these binders will pull up on the depressed sides to lock said sides against downward movement. As has been previously described, tongue 35 on cleat 4| of crate side I5 overlies tongue 34 on cleat 38 of crate side 14. Since crate side I4 is a depressedside, the flexible-binders- 30, 3| and 32 urge said side upward withthe result that this side is firmly locked-againstvertical movement by these binders and by the tongues of cleats of the sides adjacent thereto.' The same is true of the other depressed side I6. For the raised crate sides I3 and I5, the wire binders 30, 3| and 32 urge these sides downward with the tongues of cleats thereof bearing downward against the tongues of cleats of thedepressed sides, Hence, the raised sides are-likewise locked against vertical shifting.

After the crate sides have been set up in the manner just described, the crate top 26 is placed in position with the ends of cleats 2'I resting upon the uppersurfaces of the top cleats 38 and 2| of cleat sides I4 and It. The thickness of these cleats 21 is such that, so positioned, they will allow the ends of top slats 28 to rest upon the upper surfaces of the top cleats I1 and 4| of cleat sides.;I3 and I5, and since the slats 28 are relatively thin, the crate top 26 is substantially flush with the corresponding upper surfaces of cleats IT and 4|. Thus positioned, the crate to 26 is nailed in place. The outermost cleats 27 of the crate top laterally contact the inner sides of the top cleats I1 and M on crate sides I3 and I5 thus preventing, lateral shifting of the top. From this it can be seen that the crate top is effectively interlocked with the crate sides.

To complete the crate, the assembled sides and top are placed in position on the crate bottom so that the corresponding bottom cleats I8 and 46 of the crate sides I3 and I5 rest upon the projecting end portions of crate bottom cleats I2. When the bottom cleats I8 and 43 of crate sides I3 and I5 are so positioned, the corresponding bottom cleats 41 and 22 of crate sides I4 and IE will lie substantially flush with and against the outermost sides of the crate bottom cleats I2. This arrangement is disclosed in the bottom plan view shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. This figure shows the crate bottom cleats I2 in lateral contact with the bottom cleats 41 and 22 of sides I4 and I6 throughout the entire length of said cleats. Also, it can be observed that the crate bottom cleats I2 extend beneath the bottom cleats I8 and 43 of crate sides I3 and I5. The crate bottom slats I I are positioned so that there is a slot I I in lateral contact with a bottom cleat of each of the crate sides I3 and I5, said lateral contact being throughout substantially the entire length of said'cleats. The amount by which the ends of bottom cleats I2 project beyond the outermost bottom cleats II is substantially equal to thewidth of the bottom cleats I8 and 46 of crate sides I3 and I5 so that these bottom cleats are fully supported by the crate bottom cleats I2. As indicated in Figures 5 and '7, the crate bottom cleat may be secured to bottom cleats I8 and 43 of crate sides I3 and I5 by any suitable means, as for example, nails 41.

Figure 6 of the drawings discloses the relationship between the crate bottom cleats and the bottom cleats of the crate sides in detail. As shown there, crate bottom cleat I2 extends under crate bottom slat II and beyond this slat an amount equal to the width of the bottom cleat I8 of crate side I3. Hence, this bottom cleat of the crate side I3 is snugly positioned on a ledge having as its surfaces the side surface 48 of slat II and the top surface 49 of cleat I2. These surfaces are identified in Figure 2 of the drawings and there is a similar ledge formation adjacent each corner of the crate bottom.

1 Figure 7 of the drawings illustrates in detail the lateral contact between the crate bottom cleats l2 and the bottom cleats 41 and 22 of crate sides i4 and I6. As can be observed from this figure, bottom cleat 41 of crate side I4 has its lower surface 50 substantially flush with the lower surface 5| of crate bottom cleat l2. Furthermore, the side surface 52 of cleat 41 is abutted against the side surface 53 of cleat I2 and is also abutted against the end surface 54 of slat H. This arrangement provides a firm mechanical interlock between the crate bottom and the crate sides. Lateral shifting of the crate bottom in any direction is resisted by the bottom cleats of the crate sides since, at substantially every point around the periphery of the crate bottom, there is a bottom cleat of a crate side in contact therewith.

The above described construction lends itself admirably to expeditious crating of articlesfor shipment. Crate tops, bottoms and side mats can be preformed and placed on location prior to use. Generally, the crate bottoms will be piled at one location and the side mats and crate tops assembled to form hoods that are positioned at another location along a, conveyor assembly line. This enables the packers to mount the articles to be shipped on the crate bottoms, attach them thereto, and let the attached article and crate bottom move forward to the next location where the sides and top, which have been assembled as a hood, which is lowered over the article, and connected to the crate bottom.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates such a sequence of operations. A conveyor 55 is illustrated, having a platform 56 and a plurality of conveyor rollers 51. The crate bottoms, with the articles being crated secured thereon, are pushed along the rollers 51 to the location where the crating is completed. Figure 1 shows a motor 58 secured by bolts 59 to the crate bottom [0. As the motor reaches the location shown in the right hand portion of Figure l, the pre-assembled crate sides and top are lowered, as a hood, over the motor. As the crate sides and top are lowered, the packer is enabled to properly center the sides and top because the lower edges of the bottom cleats ll and 22 of crate sides i4 and I6 reach the crate bottom It in advance of the lower cleats Ii? and 46 of crate sides I3 and I5. The lower edges of bottom cleats 41 and 22 are thus leading edges while lower edges of bottom cleats l8 and 46 are trailing edges. Thus being able to utilize these leading edges for guiding action, the packer can very easily center the crate sides and top and quickly bring the bottom cleats l8 and 46 of crate sides l3 and i5 into position on the ledge surfaces adjacent each corner of the crate bottom. Once the crate sides and top are in position with respect to the crate bottom, the crate sides can be nailed to the crate bottom. Thereafter, if desired, the wire binders can be given a final tightening and the crated article pushed farther along the conveyor line.

A sequence of operations performed as above described minimizes the time required to effect crating of relatively heavy articles. With the crate sides and top set up as a hood, this hood can be quickly placed over the article and the provision of leading edges for guiding the hood into properly centered position prevents misalignment such as might cause one edge of the hood to go down between the conveyor rollers. Furthermore, the hood could be turned end for end prior to being lowered over the article and 8 this will make no difference since opposite sides of the crate are identical.

These advantages are secured by constructing component parts of the crate in accordance with the teaching of my invention. Obviously, certain modifications of the constructions I illustrate can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Instead of employing tongues of the shape shown in Figure 8 of the drawings, round tongues could be employed or tongues of the shape shown in the aforementioned figure could be provided with only one tapered surface, that is, to have a taper on the surface Which is to contact the other tongue. However, I prefer tongues of the shape shown in Figure 8 because the sharp edges of these tongues which are in contact with each other, will tend to bite into each other to form a notch lock" between the tongues. Furthermore, the symmetrical construction of these tongues allows the crate sides to be offset in one direction or offset in another direction, without affecting, in any way, the effectiveness with which the tongues operate to maintain the sides self-centered and to maintain the proper amount of offset between the sides.

Accordingly, while I have shown and described an embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to be restricted solely thereto but that I intend to cover all modifications thereof which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A wire-bound shipping crate comprising a plurality of sides alternately vertically offset from each other to provide opposite pairs of raised and lowered crate sides, each of said sides having top and bottom cleats extending substantially the length of said side, and each of said cleats having a tapered tongue projecting centrally from each cleat end to provide shoulder portions adjacent said tongue, the tongues of cleats of the lowered sides of said crate being positioned below the tongues of cleats of raised sides of said crate to maintain the respective sides offset from each other, said respective tongues having tapered surfaces thereof in contact with each other throughout at least a portion of said surfaces, and the shoulder portions of cleats of one side of said crate being abutted against the projecting tongues of cleats of an adjacent side of said crate to prevent said sides from shifting sideways, wire binders attached to and surrounding the crate sides, a crate bottom having ledge surfaces provided adjacent opposite ends thereof, said ledge surfaces being in contact with the bottom cleats of the raised crate sides, and said crate bottom also having transverse slots abutting the inner surfaces of the bottom cleats of the lowered crate sides, and a crate top attached to said crate sides.

2. A shipping container comprising a plurality of alternately offset sides surrounded by flexible binders, each of said sides including longitudinally extending cleats and each of said cleats having tapered end portions thereon in contact with tapered end portions on the ends of similarly positioned cleats of adjacent sides of said container positioned beneath the cleats of the adjacent section to maintain adjacent sides of said container offset from each other in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axes of said cleats, each of said cleats also having shoulder portions thereon adjacent the tapered end portions thereof, the shoulder portions of cleats of one side of said container being abutted against the tapered end portions of similarly positioned cleats of an adjacent side of said container to prevent sideways shifting of said container sides, a container end positioned substantially flush with corresponding ends of one set of ofiset container sides, said container end having ledge surfaces thereon in contact with corresponding ends of an alternate set of offset container sides, and another container end positioned substantially flush with other corresponding ends of said last-mentioned container sides, flexible binders attached to and surrounding said container sides, and means securing said container ends to said container sides.

3. A shipping container comprising a plurality of alternately offset sides surrounded by flexible binders, each of said sides including longitudinally extending cleats and each of said cleats having tapered end portions thereon offset and in contact with tapered end portions on the ends of similarly-positioned cleats of adjacent sides of said container to maintain adjacent sides of the container offset from each other in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axes of said cleats, said tapered portion of adjacent cleats coacting during assembly of said sides to cam said sides into offset relation against the tension of said binders, and oppositely disposed container end members connected to said container sides.

4. A foldable box blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material'formed with similarly positioned longitudinally extending cleats, flexible binders connecting together said sections in foldable relationship, the similarly positioned cleats in adjacent sections of said blank having tapered tongues, said tongues being offset to guide said adjacent sections into final offset relationship when said blank is set up with the tongues of adjacent cleats slidably contacting one another in camming relation to move said cleats into offset relationship as said blank is set up.

5. A shipping container comprising a plurality of alternate offset sides surrounded by a plurality of binding wires, each of said sides including longitudinally extending cleats having a tapering tongue at each terminal end and transverse slats extending therebetween, adjacent sides of the container being offset vertically from one another by virtue of said tongues, the tongues of alternate sides being superimposed on the tongues of intermediate sides to elevate said alternate sides relative to said intermediate sides, and a loadbearing end member extending across one open end of said container into surface contact with each of said sides, said end member including a pair of parallel side cleats each having terminal portions for underlying each of the elevated sides to be in contact therewith, and a pair of trans- I versely extending slats each terminating flush with outer side edges of said end member cleats and having end portions for abutting the inner surfaces of the adjacent cleats of the intermediate sides, the end member thus being adapted to telescopically receive the assembled sides thereabout when said sides are lowered thereon to enclose an article secured to the end member.

' RALPH J. BYERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date.

1,922,842 Durand Aug. 15, 1933 1,931,461 MacKenzie Oct. 17, 1933 1,973,932 Sharp et al Sept. 18, 1934 2,351,092 Bauer June 13, 1944 2,428,500 Nutt Oct. '7, 1947 

